Finding Hope
by ShadowOfApate
Summary: Experimental Fic. A visit to Rack leaves Willow determined to help other addicts.


Title : Finding Hope  
Author : Tariq ( formerly Aeris Jade Orion )  
Rating : R  
Pairing : WR/TM  
Timeline : Season Six  
Summary : A visit to Rack goes horribly wrong,  
and Willow decides to make it her mission to  
help other addicts.

Authors note: It's unbeta'd. At the moment I  
have no beta reader for this genre. So drop me  
a line if you're interested.

Second, due to health issues, and taking care  
of my disabled mom, I haven't been able to  
write much. But over the last several years  
I've managed to slowly write on a number  
of stories.

What I've decided to do is go ahead and  
publish what I've managed to put together.  
The stories are unfinished, and sometimes,  
the last chapter I worked on is unfinished.  
Plus, there maybe multiple chapters, each one a  
different version. Just warning everyone.

So I apologize in advance.

Disclaimer : Not mine. All characters belong  
to Joss Whedon.

00000  
Prologue  
00000

It was too much. Her skin burned, itched, felt  
close to burstings. Power grew in her body,  
rippling and swirling through her veins, filling  
them until they pressed up through the skin.

" Stop... " She breathed.

A demon appeared in her vision of stars. She  
had to get away. Had to run. She thrashed  
against the ceiling, but Rack held her tightly  
to it, and her vision cleared.

Raspy laughter grew in volume, and suddenly she  
fell to the floor. Pain exploded throughout her  
body. A cracking in her left leg dimly telling  
her she had broken bones.

Amy started to scream, and she managed to tilt  
her head to the side. Her right eye widened in  
horror at the sight of her demon on top of her  
friend. The long claws tearing into the former  
rat with long splatters of blood.

" No..."

She struggled to get her arms under her, but the  
pain and magic was against her. She fought on,  
Rack's continuing laughter, sobbering her fast.

Her left arm crumbled. The shoulder popping. Her  
sight darkened for a second. She breathed deeply  
and managed to stay conscious.

In desperation, she reached out with her protesting  
magic and shot pure fire at the demon. It threw it's  
head back in a howl, dying in a cloud of ash.

" Amy? "

" Too late, Strawberry. " Rack chuckled. " She's a  
corpse. "

' My fault. ' Willow realized. ' If I had listened  
to Tara, none of this would've happened. '

" Oh well, it's how it happen's sometimes. " Rack  
shrugged.

" Shut up. " Willow pushed herself onto her back  
with a groan.

" Now, now, Strawberry. Don't be that way. " Rack  
lightly scolded.

" Don't call me that. "

She used her right arm to heave herself into a  
sitting position. She had to get out of there,  
and to a hospital.

" Hmmm, and what? You're going to go back to  
your little girlfriend? You're boring little  
life? " Rack mocked.

" What about it? "

Magic danced around his fingers. The dealer  
smirking knowingly at her. " You've had a  
taste of real power. No one willingly walks  
away from it. "

" I can. " Willow whispered around silent  
tears.

Rack's scarred face stretched into a dark  
smirk. " I'd like to test that theory. "

A jolt of magic slammed her violently into  
the floor. More powerful than anything he'd  
hit her with before. Her left elbow snapped,  
and three of her finger on her right hand made  
crackling sounds.

Another jolt hit, and then she realized she was  
screaming.

00000

" Can you hear me? "

She struggled against the agony of her body.  
The memories of what happened at Rack's were  
muddled, she dimly had some knowledge of  
striking out, or her magic yanking her away  
from Sunnydale...

" My name is Miss. Harkin. I run a coven in  
Devon, England. I'm a close friend of Rupert  
Giles. You teleported into our dining room  
a short time ago. "

Oh, not good.

"...don't tell... Giles. " She gasped out.

" Child, if he doesn't call in a favor I owe  
him I can't rehibilitate you. It's not allowed.  
The most we can do for you is healing your  
injuries and getting you through your  
withdrawal's. "

" ...no. "

" As you wish. "

Maybe it was a mistake, but somehow forcing the  
coven to help her seemed almost as bad as her  
addiction. No, she would rather muddle through on  
her own, than taint the tenant's of the wiccan  
religion.

She sank back into a wave of agony. Not quite  
unconscious. Something told her it was going  
to be a long night.

00000

Willow folded the last of her two extra pairs  
of jeans. Along with a single package of socks  
and underwear, they went into the black, Jansport  
Cathedral Backpack.

Next she packed three t-shirts. Two sets of boxers  
and tank tops for sleeping. But other than the  
dark brown cordary jacket she left out to wear,  
she couldn't take any more clothes with her.

Instead the rest of the space was packed with  
toiletries. A thick address book with almost a  
hundred magical users across the world. All  
properly taught, and firm white magic  
practictioners.

Miss. Harkin had given it to her in hopes of  
her finding someone to teach her. Shaman,  
druid, wiccan, etc.

Still, it wasn't a matter of calling them up  
and asking. She had to go to them and let them  
meet her. Examine her aura, her magic, and see  
if their belief's would allow for them to  
rehibilate her.

She knew it would be a long, exhaustng road.  
One rife with dangers. Not to mention great  
frustration.

Willow packed the book of shadows she'd  
started into the bag, and the three books the  
coven leader had given her. Despite what Gile's  
friend had said, she had taught Willow the  
basic's. Going so far as to give her several  
books to continue her lessons on the road.

" Leaving already? "

Willow zipped up her bag. Taking a moment to  
pull on her jacket, before shrugging on the  
backpack.

" There's nothing left to learn here, a-and  
I don't want to get you in trouble with me  
being all dark magicy. " Willow explained,  
picking up her cane.

Miss. Harkin frowned at her in disapproval.  
Whether from her leaving while still hobbling  
around, or from indicating she getting her  
in trouble she didn't know.

" You need more time to recover child. You're  
barely able to walk. A strong enough wind is  
going to knock you over with that leg of your's. "  
Miss. Harkin tsked.

Willow waved her off, limping from the room.  
" Maybe, but I can't hang around here for the  
next six months. I have too much to do. You said  
yourself you doubted many of the groups in the  
black book would be willing to help me, and there  
are a hundred names. If I manage one name a day,  
that's one hundred days. "

" Fine, but don't forget most of those groups  
will be teleporting you. So may get three, or  
four names a day, if you're rejected. "

" Maybe. " Willow admitted.

" Well, if you're determined, I won't stop you.  
My sister's are ready to teleport you to your  
first stop. " Miss. Harking sighed. " And Willow,  
do try and stay out of trouble. "

Willow rolled her eyes at the middle aged women.  
It wasn't her fault. The stupid, arm munching  
horse was completely responisble for everything.  
But would the other woman believe her, no.

" All horses should be banished to the ends of  
the Earth. "

" What was that? "

" Nothing. " Willow smiled innocently.

" Good luck, Willow, and Blessed be. "

" Blessed Be, Miss. Harkin. Thank you. For  
everything. "

00000

To Be Continued 


End file.
